Ulta's E-commerce Sales Up 55%, Stocks Drop on Rising U.S. Dollar

Stocks fell in midday trading Friday with the rising U.S. dollar. The Dow was off by more than 200 points after some weak economic reading. Following this morning's surprise drop in the producer price index. Consumer sentiment came in at its worst reading since November. The University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index for March fell to 91.2. Weak mall traffic is being blamed for Aeropostale's (ARO) disappointing Q1 forecast. There are gainers in the retail space including Ann (ANN). The parent company of Ann Taylor and LOFT stores climbed after a better than expected earnings report. Ulta Salon (ULTA) also rose after beating estimates. The beauty supplies retailer says sales rose including a 55% jump in e-commerce sales.